Sam Neill teases Jurassic World: Dominion plot about his on-screen relationship with Laura Dern

Jurassic Park star Sam Neill has offered fans a nugget of information about the upcoming sixth film in the franchise, Jurassic World: Dominion.

Plot details are sparse and being kept that way until nearer the sequel’s release in June 2022, but moviegoers are keen to know where Sam’s character – Dr Alan Grant – fits into the plot.

He is returning to the franchise alongside Jeff Goldblum, as Dr Ian Malcolm, and Laura Dern, as Dr Ellie Sattler, with the trio starring in the first movie in 1993, not appearing as a threesome for 27 years.

Relationship status? Sam Neill has teased Jurassic World: Dominion plot details about his on-screen relationship with co-star Laura Dern… and claimed the movie could easily be six hours long

Speaking to Variety, Sam, 73, said of Alan Grant in present day: ‘Same character, but different world, different times.’

He added: ‘Dr Grant and Dr Sattler haven’t seen each other for some time, so you’ll see how that pans out.’

This is the first morsel of information to be disclosed about the two legacy characters’ current relationship.

In Jurassic Park, the pair were a couple who also worked together, recruited by the late Richard Attenborough’s character John Hammond to visit his dinosaur theme park before it opens to the public.

Trio: He is returning to the franchise alongside Jeff Goldblum, as Dr Ian Malcolm, and Laura Dern, as Dr Ellie Sattler, having not appeared as a threesome for 27 years

Trio: He is returning to the franchise alongside Jeff Goldblum, as Dr Ian Malcolm, and Laura Dern, as Dr Ellie Sattler, having not appeared as a threesome for 27 years

Speaking to Variety, Sam, 73, said of Alan Grant and co in present day: 'Same character[s], but different world, different times.'

Speaking to Variety, Sam, 73, said of Alan Grant and co in present day: ‘Same character[s], but different world, different times.’

The park, of course, never opened, when, during the visit, a power outage led to disaster when the dinosaurs escaped from their paddocks and took over the island the park was built on.

Having escaped the island, Grant and Sattler reappeared again in 2001’s Jurassic Park III, with Grant sent to John Hammond’s second island, also overrun with dinosaurs.

In this movie, he and Sattler were friends but not lovers, with the latter married to another man with two children.

Tease: Offering up the first morsel of information about the two legacy characters' current relationship, Sam said, 'Dr Grant and Dr Sattler haven’t seen each other for some time, so you’ll see how that pans out'

Tease: Offering up the first morsel of information about the two legacy characters’ current relationship, Sam said, ‘Dr Grant and Dr Sattler haven’t seen each other for some time, so you’ll see how that pans out’

TBC: In Jurassic Park, the pair were a couple who also worked together, recruited by the late Richard Attenborough's character John Hammond to visit his dinosaur theme park before it opens to the public

TBC: In Jurassic Park, the pair were a couple who also worked together, recruited by the late Richard Attenborough’s character John Hammond to visit his dinosaur theme park before it opens to the public

Where their relationship stands in Jurassic World: Dominion is yet to be revealed, but Neill’s latest teaser sheds a little light on this.

He also claims the film – which was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and became the first movie to resume amid new industry safety measures – has so much footage in the can it could be a six-hour event.

‘It’s going be a big film. [Director] Colin Trevorrow has that childlike sense of wonder, playfulness and inventiveness that [Jurassic Park director] Steven Spielberg has.

‘We really shot a six-hour movie. We were all very gung-ho. Hopefully, there’ll be thousands of massive cinemas ready for it because it’s a big film for big audiences.’

Cinema classic: The park, of course, never opened, when, during the visit, a power outage led to disaster when the dinosaurs escaped from their paddocks and took over the island the park was built on

Cinema classic: The park, of course, never opened, when, during the visit, a power outage led to disaster when the dinosaurs escaped from their paddocks and took over the island the park was built on

Lovers to friends: Having escaped the island, Grant and Sattler reappeared again in 2001's Jurassic Park III, with the latter married to another man with two children

Lovers to friends: Having escaped the island, Grant and Sattler reappeared again in 2001’s Jurassic Park III, with the latter married to another man with two children

Sam – who is promoting another film currently, Rams – appeared on The Graham Norton Show last week, echoed this, saying: ‘We shot it all at Pinewood and it’s going to be huge so hopefully there will be some cinemas open soon so people can see it!’ 

The franchise has been shot at England’s Pinewood Studios in recent years, on the outskirts of London.

Fifth film Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and now sixth film Dominion have filmed at the iconic sound stage, in part due to the franchise moving from its original tropical setting.

While each instalment until now has taken place, in part, on fictitious Costa Rican islands Nublar and Sorna – for which scenes were shot on location in Hawaii – the current movie is not thought to feature any sequences in the tropics.

Continuation: He also claims the film - which was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and became the first movie to resume amid new industry safety measures - has so much footage in the can it could be a six-hour event

Continuation: He also claims the film – which was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and became the first movie to resume amid new industry safety measures – has so much footage in the can it could be a six-hour event

Exciting times: Sam promised Jurassic World: Dominion will be 'huge' when it is finally released during a recent appearance on The Graham Norton Show

Exciting times: Sam promised Jurassic World: Dominion will be ‘huge’ when it is finally released during a recent appearance on The Graham Norton Show

The film is picking up where Fallen Kingdom left off – with a series of dinosaurs accidentally released in mainland North America.

In October, Sam, Laura and Jeff posed for a selfie outside the Richard Attenborough Stage at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire.

Sam wrote in a caption for his Instagram page: ‘Today, here we are, thinking about our old pal and colleague, dear old Dickie Attenborough, on the actual #RichardAttenboroughStage at #PinewoodStudios.

‘Completely appropriately, we face our greatest dinosaur terror yet today, on a great soundstage named for the great man himself.’

Jurassic World: Dominion is slated to be released on 10 June 2022.